


I'll wait 'til yer ready

by SophiaHoppia



Series: Pick me up [2]
Category: Xenoblade Chronicles
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Fluff, Kissing, M/M, Overthinking, a bit of anxiety, i love that this is a tag, spoilers for Tephra Cave and Bionis's leg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-02
Updated: 2020-06-02
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:20:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,776
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24510694
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SophiaHoppia/pseuds/SophiaHoppia
Summary: Reyn and Shulk have been friends since forever and nothing would ever change that. But what if the feelings of one of these men exceeded friendship and had turned into more? Would the balance of their friendship be disturbed? Or would they patiently wait until the other recognized their feelings as well? No matter how long it might take.---This is part of aseries, but every piece can be read as a stand-alone.
Relationships: Reyn/Shulk (Xenoblade Chronicles)
Series: Pick me up [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1783021
Comments: 13
Kudos: 78





	I'll wait 'til yer ready

**Author's Note:**

> I have been in love with this ship ever since the moment I've played Xenoblade Chronicles for the first time - which was directly after the release of the Wii game. Now I'm playing the Definitive Edition on Switch and have once again fallen in love with this rare pair.  
> \---  
> As you can see, this is part of a series now. You don't have to read the other pieces if you only want to enjoy this one, but if you wanna start at the beginning, check out [Trust me](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25576429) first.

Shulk felt exhausted.

The last days had been hell. After Colony 9 had been attacked by the Mechons, nothing was as it used to be.

Days he had spent inside his Weapon Development Lab studying the Monado suddenly had turned into days slicing down enemies with the object of his research.

So many people had lost their lives during the attack: soldiers, civilians, Fiora.

Shulk felt a lump forming in his throat. Fiora, his childhood friend, was gone. He knew that, but he couldn't quite grasp it yet, was still expecting to wake up from a long bad nightmare.

He was still racked with guilt when he thought back to that faithful day. The Monado had shown him a vision of the near future, Fiora's scream reverberating inside his head. He should have acted sooner. He should have saved her. He should have-

"Shulk?" Reyn's voice interrupted his train of thoughts. "Ya okay, man?"

"What?" the blond blinked in confusion, needing a moment to focus back on the present.

"Ya have been awfully quiet, since... ya know?"

No, Shulk didn't know. Since Colony 9 had been attacked? Since Fiora had been killed before their very eyes? Since they had traveled to Tephra's Cave? Since Reyn had almost been killed by an enormous monster-spider? Since they'd defeated that monster and the only thing Shulk had felt was the _relief_ that Reyn hadn't been killed? Since this relief had caused him to _almost_ jump at his tall childhood friend, cupping his face and placing a short kiss on the other's lips before awkwardly separating again, immediately desperately changing the topic to the power of the Monado and his visions instead?

"Oh come on, man. Ya know what I'm talkin' about," the redhead uttered, his hand grabbing the back of his neck - a nervous gesture.

"I'm sorry, Reyn," Shulk said because he truly was. He still wasn't sure what had overcome him. It had just happened in the heat of the moment.

"Oh, never mind, then," Reyn mumbled but Shulk didn't even hear it.

The blond knew it was a bad habit of him to keep quiet about important things. And this surely seemed to be important if he valued their longtime friendship. But Shulk needed to sort out everything inside his head first before he was able to talk about it.

It was the same with all these visions. He needed to understand them better before he could completely share them with others. He needed to understand how they worked.

What if even talking about it already changed the future? But how could he know if these changes were for the better or worse? Would he get new visions if he managed to change enough on time? What even triggered these visions? And what had triggered him to throw himself at Reyn and kiss him earlier that day? Sure, the adrenaline from the fight had still been in his body. The relief to have changed the future, and to have saved Reyn had washed over him, but still. Was that enough to suddenly kiss your best friend?

Shulk had avoided the topic so far. They'd briefly talked about the Monado's new power before they silently walked through the last part of Tephra Cave, a small path, continuing endlessly.

The darkness of the cave along with the silence outside as well as the loud thoughts inside his head had been pressing down on Shulk and his mood.

It felt like a blessing when they finally reached the end of the cave and felt the warm light of the setting sun on their skin.

"Wow," Shulk mumbled as he took in the view stretching out in front of them.

"No matter how many times I see this, I never get used to it," Reyn added and Shulk turned his head to watch his childhood friend's profile. Reyn's bronze skin shimmered in the orange light of the setting sun and Shulk had never seen anything more beautiful before.

Shocked by his thoughts, he tried to change their conversation to a completely different topic.

"On the other side of those clouds..." he started to say but somehow stopped. Yet there wasn't any need for more words. As always Reyn had already understood what he was talking about.

"Yep. It's our enemy. Mechonis," the redhead added and Shulk felt his heart warming up. He could always depend on Reyn, even if his own words failed him. The connection they shared went way beyond any casual friendship.

"Our enemy," Shulk repeated more to himself - a reminder. _Yes_ , he balled his fist, _their enemy_. That's what he should be thinking about now. Their enemy. The whole reason they had decided to leave Colony 9 and go on a journey.

They had finally left Tephra Cave behind them, so Colony 6 shouldn't be that far away anymore.

"If we just came up the Bionis' shin..." Reyn mumbled in thought and this time Shulk was the one to complete his friend's comment.  
"Then this must be its kneecap, right?"

"Yup," Reyn confirmed, "which means Colony 6 is up ahead!"  
"Looks like we can climb up there," said Shulk and pointed to a cliff overgrown by ivy.  
"Great! I love a good climb," answered Reyn, excitement visible in the way he balled his fist and his eyes sparkled.

"You climb up first," the redhead suggested as they reached the cliff.  
"Huh? Why?"  
"So I can catch ya if ya fall," Reyn announced proudly, rubbing his nose.

"I won't fall," Shulk answered with a pout and quickly turned towards the ivy as he felt his cheeks burning up in embarrassment.

In his hurry to prove that he was capable of climbing up a small cliff with enough ivy on it, _thank you very much_ , he, right before reaching the top, accidentally grabbed a piece of the plant which hung too loosely.

Surprised, he lost his footing. Leaning forward to avoid falling failed as gravity pulled him backward instead.

Closing his eyes on reflex to prepare for the incoming impact of the fall, Shulk suddenly was embraced by strong, warm, muscular arms.

"Gotcha!"

Shulk opened his eyes and looked up into Reyn's face. The redhead was grinning proudly, his bronze skin still glowing beautifully in the light of the setting sun.

Without realizing it, Shulk's pale hand suddenly cupped Reyn's bronze cheek as his mouth whispered the only word his mind could grasp between his otherwise swirling thoughts.

" _Beautiful_."

A very faint shimmer of red appeared on Reyn's nose and the cheek, that wasn't hidden beneath Shulk's hand. Surely this was caused by the light of the evening sun as well. Shulk knew Reyn well enough. The taller one never blushed.

"Shulk?" The name got uttered in concern, eyebrows furrowing in that cute way only Reyn could do. Shulk felt pulled in by the sight. Only when he was with Reyn the never-ending thoughts in his head seemed to stop. At least, all thoughts that had nothing to do with Reyn. The redhead just seemed to have the ability to let Shulk forget about everything else. Everything that bothered him, haunted him, hurt him.

"Ya didn't hit yer head, did ya?"

"What?" Shulk blinked, only now realizing that Reyn had pulled him further up -easily with his well-trained arms- and was studying his face with an intense gaze.

"Finally getting charmed by my good looks and strong arms, ain't ya?" Reyn asked with a smile, his voice yet lacking the playfulness that usually was present when he made a joke.

"I, what? No, I-" Shulk started to babble and felt his cheeks heating up as he, unsuccessfully, tried to free himself from Reyn's arms to stand down on his own feet again.

A short moment of sadness seemed to graze the redhead's eyes but as Reyn suddenly started laughing and set Shulk back down on the ground, the heir to the Monado was sure he must have only imagined that. Of course, Reyn wasn't sad. It had only been a joke, hasn't it?

"Don't worry about it, buddy," the redhead announced with a smile, hands on his hips, "I'll wait 'til yer ready. No matter how long it takes."

Shulk was confused. He usually knew what Reyn was thinking and talking about, but this? What would he wait for?

Asking that question out loud would be the easiest and fastest solution, but as always Shulk tended to overthink everything inside his head instead of just speaking up. Was Reyn waiting for a day Shulk immediately got every joke his friend uttered, even when he appeared to be serious? Waiting for the day his visions about the future even warned him about falling before climbing a small cliff? Waiting for the day Shulk and Reyn would finally be able to read each and every thought the other had?

"Ya gonna try climbin' up again or shall we call it a day and rest here for the night?"

"Oh," Shulk uttered _eloquently_. So that's what Reyn had been talking about. He'd wait for him until he managed to climb up that small cliff. "We should keep moving a bit further before we set up camp for the night."

"Alrighty!" Reyn answered with this beautifully huge grin, that _always_ brought a smile to Shulk's lips as well.

As if running away from his thoughts, Shulk did his best to concentrate on climbing for now. Slowly, one step at a time, and checking beforehand if the ivy could withstand his grip.

This time, they both managed to climb up without any problems, and Shulk was _not_ impressed by how easily Reyn managed to climb up, his muscles flexing in the process. After all, there was no need to be impressed: He already knew Reyn was strong - always had been. So why couldn't he stop staring at these muscular arms? The arms that had easily caught him when he had fallen earlier, protecting him from any damage.

They continued to walk from the Bionis' kneecap to its leg, avoiding any battles on their way, until they finally decided to settle down for the night, the sun already set.

After having eaten some of the rations they'd brought along from Colony 9, Reyn offered to take the first watch tonight and Shulk felt the exhaustion of the day creeping upon him.

Ever since climbing up that cliff, there had been mostly silence between Reyn and him, causing him to be alone with his endless thoughts and worries, even now as he lay down trying to sleep.

There were worries about the whole concept of these visions, thoughts about almost losing Reyn today. Worries about the future, thoughts about how surprisingly soft Reyn's lips had felt when he'd kissed them. Worries about Colony 9 and if it would recover from the Mechons' attack, thoughts about Reyn's strong arms catching him, holding him close to his muscular chest, the worried look in his beautiful eyes, as Shulk had suddenly cupped Reyn's soft cheek.

Shulk groaned and turned around in his sleeping bag. These thoughts were getting out of hand and he wasn't ready to face them yet.

 _I'll wait 'til yer ready._ Reyn's words suddenly reverberated inside his head and Shulk felt a blush spreading on his cheeks.

Why was he remembering that now? This had nothing to do with that.

Snuggling deeper into his sleeping bag as a cold breeze was blowing over the field, he wished himself back into the warmth of Reyn's arms before exhaustion finally caught up with him, causing him to fall asleep at least.

The next day wasn't any less turbulent than the day before.

Continuing their way up the Bionis' leg, soon led them to an abandoned buggy. Unable to turn their back on someone in danger, they did their best to save Juju, a young Homs from Colony 6, from the imminent danger of the wild animals home to this region of the Bionis.

One thing led to another and soon they were at a camp, where other Homs from Colony 6 had taken shelter. Sharla, Juju's big sister, told them that Colony 6 had been attacked by Mechons as well and was currently occupied by them.

Her fiancé, Gadolt, was still out there fighting together with the Colony 6 Defense Force to take back their homes.

When Shulk was still thinking about these visions he'd had while talking to Sharla, Juju had already left camp with the buggy again, intend on saving the colony on his own, even though his sister had literally just told him, that it was too dangerous.

Yet not only Juju was in danger but also Sharla if Shulk's visions were to be trusted. Although he knew he couldn't stop her from going after her brother, he would do his best to stop her from getting killed while saving Juju.

And with that, his whole world had been turned upside down again in merely one day. Yesterday it had only been him and Reyn and now they suddenly had a new companion by their side.

Sharla was a good person, caring deeply about her people and those close to her - that much Shulk already knew. She was also more talkative than expected at first but seemed to realize that Shulk preferred to be left to his thoughts from time to time.

Which left her with no one but Reyn to talk to. Shulk could listen to Reyn chatting all day. He enjoyed how easily the redhead got excited, gesturing with his hands whenever he described something, laughing about every small thing that wasn't completely negative. And even if something was negative, Reyn always managed to change the point of view to something positive.

Considering all this, Shulk should be happy about Sharla joining them. Yet while he enjoyed listening to Reyn talking and laughing all day, he didn't enjoy this ugly feeling of jealousy combined with anxiety creeping up inside of him.

There was no need for these feelings. Reyn had always talked to other people. And Reyn wouldn't suddenly stop caring about Shulk, just because he started talking to another person. A woman, no less. A woman who just couldn't stop comparing him to her fiancé even though Reyn had literally said that he wasn't some kind of Gadolt substitute.

When the sun had set, they'd, at first, continued to walk a bit further along the Bionis' leg, but soon they had to accept that they needed to rest at least for a bit tonight. Being sleep-deprived wouldn't help saving Juju.

Sharla volunteered to take the first watch tonight, probably still too restless anyway, worries about her little brother keeping her from falling asleep.

They had settled down next to a cliff, at the end of a small path in the woods, an area surrounded by trees and free of any aggressive animals. Shulk was leaning against the cliff, lost in his thoughts like always.

A bit further up the path, Sharla was sitting down against one of the trees, keeping watch, close enough to warn them should anything or anyone approach them, yet too far away to hear Shulk and Reyn talking.

 _If_ they talked.

"What's keepin' ya up, Shulk?" Reyn asked right on cue, sitting down next to him.

"Nothing, just thinking," the heir of the Monado answered truthfully.

"Been doing that a lot more than usual, ain't ya?"

A huge sigh left Shulk's lips. Sometimes it felt like Reyn could read him like an open book.

"Wanna tell me what'cha thinking about?" Reyn asked, an encouraging smile on his face. Somehow, he looked even more beautiful in the soft light of this starry night.

"The Mechons, these vision, the future."  
_You_ , Shulk added silently.

"That's an awful lot," the redhead summarized with a worried expression, folding his arms behind his head and looking up to the sky.

"How do _you_ manage to cope with all that?" Shulk suddenly asked.

"Me?" Reyn frowned, once again furrowing his eyebrows in that cute way that was so typical for him. He obviously hadn't expected that question.

"I don't know, man," the redhead admitted, gripping his chin with his hand in a typical thinking posture, "I just ain't thinkin' about it that much, I guess. I'm fine as long as you're here with me, so there's nothin' to worry about for me right now. Havin' you by my side just makes me happy, no matter what happens to the world around us."

Shulk's eyes widened as he listened to his friend's confession. He hadn't known he had such a big influence on Reyn's well-being just by being with him.

"Sorry, man. Too much, too soon, ain't? Just forget it. Ya already have enough to think about. This can wait 'til yer ready," Reyn back-pedaled all of a sudden.

"No!" the blond exclaimed before his brain even caught up with anything, "I won't forget it. What do you mean _this can wait_? You've said something similar yesterday already - about _waiting until I'm ready_. For what?"

Reyn turned his head to the side, clearly avoiding Shulk's gaze as he nervously rubbed his neck. "Nah, forget it. Still too soon."

"No," Shulk repeated to emphasize his intention, and, in the heat of the moment, he was suddenly straddling Reyn's hips. He grabbed his head with both hands to turn it around, giving Reyn no chance to avoid his gaze any longer. "What do you-"

And then the situation finally caught up with him, causing him to stop mid-sentence.

Suddenly Shulk was aware of it all.

The strong muscular thighs he was sitting on. The heat radiating from the other's body. The soft skin of the cheeks beneath his hands. The quivering of these sweet, full lips. The blue eyes right in front of him, almost grey in the pale light of the night, shimmering with a mix of so many emotions: fear, hope, hesitation, longing, uncertainty, _love_.

 _Ah._  
Suddenly it was all so clear to him. Why hadn't he noticed it sooner? He should have listened more, should have watched him closer instead of getting lost in his thoughts alone.

"S-Shulk?" Reyn asked, confused but hopeful. Noticing the change but not daring to believe it yet.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Reyn," Shulk answered with a smile, and the redhead's eyes widened in surprise before a small laugh tumbled from his lips as Shulk kissed him quickly.

"No need to be sorry. Told ya, I'd wait 'til ya were ready," Reyn answered before cupping his cheeks as well and claiming his lips once more. This time the kiss lasted longer. Reyn's tongue impatiently licking over Shulk's lips before the blond willingly opened his mouth, told Shulk just how long Reyn must have been waiting for him, anticipating this very moment when Shulk finally realized his feelings. Angling their heads, their tongues desperately engaged in a sweet dance.

Shulk had lost all sense of time, but when they separated again, breathing heavily, their foreheads touched and they were both grinning like stupid idiots, little giggles falling from their lips.

"You should have said something sooner," Shulk said with a playful reprimand.

"Nah, wouldn't wanna bother you. I knew ya were only interested in science and nothin' or no one else," Reyn explained as he got up and used his indescribable strength to pick up Shulk along with him. He walked a few steps to where their sleeping bags were and lay down on his back after setting down Shulk next to him.

"But wasn't it difficult to deal with that all by yourself?" Shulk snuggled into his sleeping bag, resting his head on Reyn's chest. Being close to him just felt right.

The redhead pulled an arm around Shulk, hugging him and keeping him warm. "I had Fiora to talk to," he admitted quietly.

"Really?" Not having expected that Shulk leaned up to watch Reyn's face.

"Don't worry," the redhead chuckled and pulled the blond back down to his chest, placing a quick kiss on his hair. "We may have been rivals, but we've talked about that fair and square. She always knew you were more worried about ya machines than anythin'. Yet she also said that one day _I_ 'd manage to pique ya interest - called it woman's intuition or somethin'."

A soft smile grazed Shulk's lips. Fiora had been such a good friend. He knew she had been interested in him, but he'd never dared to address the topic, afraid to hurt her with his rejection, intending to wait until one day his feelings might change. But they never had. Not in her favor at least.

And now that he thought about it his feelings hadn't _changed_ today either. He had just finally gotten aware of what had been there all along. Reyn had been in his heart since forever. He had just always been too busy _thinking_ to let himself _feel_ what was burning inside him.

He knew Fiora would be happy for them, swallowing the pain of her unrequited feelings. Yet he wished he had talked to her about it. Even if her intuition had seen this day coming, just like his visions made him see upcoming events, he would have wanted the chance to properly talk to her about it. Yet regret wouldn't change anything.

A warm hand, softly caressing his hair, pulled him out of his thoughts again.

"Sorry, man," Reyn mumbled, "didn't want ya to remember any painful memories."

"No, it's alright." Shulk concentrated on the warmth radiating from his companion's body. Here, in his arms, he felt warm, safe, protected. "She would have been happy for us, wouldn't she?"

"Yeah, ya bet," the redhead answered with such certainty that Shulk wanted to believe it, had to believe it.

"Ya should try to sleep," Reyn said, his hand soothingly rubbing up and down Shulk's back now, "it's been one hell of a day."

"Yeah," Shulk mumbled against his lover's chest.

It had been another eventful day and even without his visions, Shulk knew the next days wouldn't be any less eventful.

Just thinking about what all could happen made him feel exhausted.

And yet, he wasn't scared.

Because even in this ever-changing world around him, with a future, not even his visions could predict with perfect accuracy, there was one thing that was certain and omnipresent.

Reyn would always have his back.  
Would always catch him, when he fell down.  
Would always jump in front of him to block an incoming attack.  
Would always smile when Shulk looked up to him.  
And, most important of it all: He would always sleep right next to him and be there when he woke up.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm feeling a bit sorry for Sharla: her brother has been kidnapped, her fiancé is fighting a losing battle out there and there she sits, keeping watch while these two dorks are having a heart-to-heart and start kissing. 
> 
> The biggest challenge about writing this fanfiction was writing Reyn. I'm not used to writing someone who uses informal speech / has an accent - but it was so much fun!
> 
> Please talk to me about this rare pair!
> 
>   
> [Check out my Profile to find me on Tumblr or Twitter!](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SophiaHoppia/profile)  
>   
> [Or simply check out my other fanfictions!](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SophiaHoppia/works)  
>   
> edit:  
> [Here are some screenshots I took during my latest playthrough. They inspired me to write this fanfic!](https://twitter.com/VanyllaChan/status/1267893093996605450)


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